Ukrainian counteroffensive significantly weakens logistical capabilities of Russia in occupied territories – Institute for Study of War
The counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine significantly weakens the logistical and administrative capabilities of the Russian Federation in the occupied southern regions of Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has reported.
“Ukrainian officials explicitly confirmed that Ukrainian troops seek to attrit Russian logistical capabilities in the south through precision strikes on manpower and equipment concentrations, command centers, and logistics nodes. The head of Kherson region occupation regime, Kirill Stremousov, told … that his administration has paused annexation referendum plans in Kherson region due to ‘security’ concerns … Ukrainian forces intend to slowly chip away at both Russian tactical and operational level capabilities in Kherson region, and in doing so will likely have significant impacts on the administrative and bureaucratic capabilities of occupation officials,” a report as of September 5 says.
Also, ISW reported that Putin publicly praised the so called “DPR” and “LPR” forces (and “denigrated” the Russian military) on September 5, “likely to motivate proxy recruitment and reframe Russian coverage of the war.” “Russian forces have increasingly relied on ‘DPR’ and ‘LPR’ personnel as core fighting forces, and the Kremlin likely seeks to rhetorically elevate their role in the war to enhance recruitment and increase morale. Putin additionally likely seeks to elevate the Kremlin’s preferred (and false) narrative of its invasion of Ukraine as an effort to ‘protect’ the ‘DPR’ and ‘LPR’ by praising their forces,” the message says.
What is more, Russian authorities continue to seek unconventional sources of combat power and are increasingly turning to ill and infirm individuals. “Russian authorities are likely escalating efforts to forcibly mobilize residents of occupied Ukraine, potentially to meet increasing pressure from the Kremlin to solidify territorial gains before Putin’s reported September 15 deadline to capture all of Donetsk region … Russian occupation authorities seek to mobilize 10,000 residents from Luhansk region and are leveraging school enrollment data to forcibly mobilize fathers of schoolchildren attending Russian-run educational institutions … Russian authorities are apparently attempting to recruit personnel typically unfit for military service due to physical and mental illnesses, further indicating that traditional sources of combat power are being increasingly exhausted,” the report says.
The ISW noted that Ukrainian military officials maintained their operational silence and did not release any information pertaining to Ukrainian advances in Kherson region on September 5. Russian troops launched ground strikes east of Siversk, northeast and south of Bakhmut, as well as along the northwestern outskirts of Donetsk. Ukrainian specialforces conducted a limited operation against the Russian FSB base in the area of Enerhodar.
